


In for a treat

by Ta_Ma



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Barista Steve Rogers, First Dates, First Meetings, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Little bit of angst, M/M, Pining, Shyness, Slow Burn, just a little bit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:14:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26601997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ta_Ma/pseuds/Ta_Ma
Summary: The Coffee Shop AU no one asked for, but I wanted to write because, why not? Steve is a barista, he's shy and can't really get over the fact that the famous Tony Stark just walked in the cafe, and least of all, is flirting with him. Stark sure must flirt with hundreds of people, why would he want something with him?Tony is starting to get over his break up with Pepper when Bruce 'drags' him to a lovely cafe with an even lovelier barista.They are slow, but they'll get there. Peter ships them, Bruce ships them, even Nat ships them. And they have muffins!
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 9
Kudos: 36





	1. Blueberry Muffins

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Noechan82](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noechan82/gifts).



> So I've been wanting to write a Stony fic for a while, but I couldn't get the tone right, until my friend @Noechan82 said a Coffe Shop AU would be cute. So here we are. I hope you like it.

Steve has been working at the Marvel Cafe for a couple years now and he is happy doing so. It leaves him enough free time to keep on painting and drawing, and he gets the opportunity to meet new people. He likes his workmates; Sam is funny and a good friend, Natasha can be intimidating and she doesn’t take anyone’s bullshit, but she is also really good at reading people and giving advice, Wanda is a bit shy and mostly keeps to herself, and Peter, their youngest part-time coworker, is eager to learn and talks a mile a minute, but he is really sensible for his age. 

Steve works mostly in the mornings, though he covers for his workmates if they need him to and that is how he finds himself going over their supplies in the back one quiet afternoon, while Peter mans the bar. Wanda says she is taking her break and since there’s only a couple sitting at one the tables, Steve keeps working in the back after telling Peter to call him if he needs anything. 

After a few minutes of peace and quiet, he is startled by the noise of something hitting the floor. “Oh my God!” Peter’s strangled yelp reaches Steve from the counter and he can’t help but sigh.

“What have you done, now?” asks the older man, his voice tired, getting up to get to the front of the coffee shop to fix whatever needs fixing. 

“Nothing! Mr.Banner with Tony Stark!” Steve looks at the excited expression on Peter’s face as he looks at the door, the kid bends down to pick his phone from the floor. Steve looks at the door too and he is actually surprised to see that Peter is right, the man holding the door open for Bruce is Tony Stark, the face from the magazines and the news, but he looks rather normal standing there, smiling at something Bruce is saying. Steve feels his stomach flutter, this close, Stark looks even more charming than he does on TV. Bruce Banner is one of Marvel’s regulars, he is a teacher at Peter’s school and he tends to come in once or twice a day, depending on how busy he is.

Steve watches the two men make their way inside the cafe, they are talking and laughing and he can only hear the last part of what Stark is saying. “I can’t believe you are finally buying me coffee, Brucie-bear”, Steve smiles to himself at hearing the pet name and starts reorganizing the cups and mugs for something to do, even though it is unnecessary. “I’ve never been here… So, you say the coffee is good?” the man looks around at the small coffee shop and then adds “It smells like it is…” 

“I come here often and everything is good and the staff is nice,” says Bruce’s soft voice as they approach the counter. “This is Peter, one of my students” he points at the boy and then, addressing him asks “I don’t think I need to tell you his name, do I?” and Steve can see as Peter bounces on his feet for a second. 

“No! Mr. Stark! I’m such a fan!” he exclaims enthusiastically and the man smiles and takes off his sunglasses. 

“It that’s true, it’s nice to meet you, Peter,” he says as he tends his hand for Peter to shake. Steve is a bit taken aback by how beautiful the man’s eyes are. 

“Oh, Steve, I didn’t expect to see you here at this time,” Bruce says and it takes a couple of seconds for Steve to register what he has said. 

“Well, Sam needed to be somewhere today so I’m covering for him…” he explains and feels a bit lightheaded at Stark’s intense stare. 

“That’s nice of you,” Bruce says “Will you please, get us an espresso, a green tea, and a couple blueberry muffins?” Steve nods and starts to move when Stark starts to protest. “Oh, Tony, I know you haven’t eaten in hours, probably days and these muffins are delicious,” he says pointing at where Steve was opening the display cabinet and the man looks at him instead of the pastries.

“Oh, I’m sure they are mouthwatering…” Stark says looking straight at Steve and winks at him, which makes his legs shake, and his stomach flutters, and he really hopes he can take the muffins out without dropping them. He is sure he is blushing at this point and Tony keeps looking at him with a smirk on his face. 

“Why don’t you go sit down and I’ll bring everything over when it’s ready?” he asks, trying to still his voice. 

“Sure, thanks, Steve,” Bruce says lightly, and then Tony winks at him again and adds in a flirtatious tone “Yeah, thanks, Steve” and hearing his name in that soft voice and that suggestive tone makes Steve melt a little bit inside. 

When he brings the men their order, Steve is pretty sure that he has been blushing the whole time, but he tries to act normal and he is kind of proud of his composure until Tony bites at his muffin while Steve is still close to their table and moans. His knees buckle at the sound and he drops the tray, that clanks loudly against the floor, while he grabs at an empty chair to try to steady himself. 

“Steve! Are you okay?” Bruce asks quickly standing up.

“Yeah, Bruce, thanks, I tripped over…” he says sheepishly as he turns to the man to reassure him, but then he catches a glimpse of Tony’s satisfied grin, and his heart leaps in his chest. After that, he quickly retracts behind the counter and tries to make himself disappear. 

Steve keeps an eye on Bruce and Stark from the bar as the afternoon rush starts, in a few minutes, Wanda is back from her break and they start serving customers at their usual pace. She manages the orders and he prepares the drinks, and Peter helps them both. By the time Steve can look over from the coffee maker, Bruce and Tony’s table is empty and he feels a bit disappointed. 

The thing is that Steve has had a thing for Tony Stark for years. The man has been filling magazines and newsreels for a while, during his youth it was because of his antics and spoiled behavior, everyone over 30 remembers at least one of his sex scandals. When Tony started appearing in delicate positions all over the media, Steve was a horny teenager that had just realized that he liked boys a lot more than he liked girls. Around that time, Stark came out as bisexual and promiscuous, so he became Steve’s obsession for a while. 

Nowadays, Steve would not say that he is still obsessed with Tony Stark, because he is not, thank you very much. But he still finds the man incredibly attractive and he is positive that he is not going to forget this weird afternoon anytime soon. Tony’s flirtatious behavior haunts him as he cleans up, it stays with him when he says goodbye to Peter and Wanda, clings to him as he rides his bike home, and keeps recurrently featuring in his mind as he takes a shower and ends up giving up and jerking off replaying the man’s soft moan, although picturing him in a much more suggestive scenario. 

______________________

Tony smiles to himself the rest of the afternoon, or night or whatever, he has never been exactly good at keeping track of time. He is tinkering in his workshop for several hours, fueled by the giddiness caused by how that hot barista had flustered at his flirting. He hasn’t flirted like that in a long time. It has been almost a year since his experimental run at a serious relationship with Pepper had failed, though they stayed friends and kept working together, he felt kind of discouraged from going back to one night stands and fooling around. Tony himself would not exactly say that he had been depressed, but Bruce and Rhodey, his oldest friends or only friends, actually, probably would. 

In fact, Rhodey had been nagging at him to go out and try to meet new people for months, but him being deployed with the Air Force someplace in the desert had prevented him from actually dragging Tony out himself. Enter Bruce to the equation, his much more calmed but incredibly stubborn other friend, who apparently had promised Rhodey to try and take Tony out someday, and that he did.

That afternoon, the coffee invitation had seemed safe enough, but now Tony recounts that he might have been a bit naive. But good coffee has always been a weak spot from him and the hot barista totally caught him off guard. Now, how many of the afternoon events can be blamed on Bruce? None. 

Tony has known Bruce for a long time and he is not that subtle, so he actually believes that his friend only wanted him to go out and talk to him and probably also wanted him to meet that boy, Peter. Who knows if his intention there was to boost Tony’s ego by facing him with such an eager fan or just to win coolness points as a teacher? Well, there is only one way to know. 

“Jarvis,” he says out loud “text Bruce for me, ask him about Peter.” That’s it, if he pretends to be interested in that, Bruce might give away any other hidden plans. It is not like he is not interested, the kid made some interesting points about robotics in the brief moment he got to speak to him. 

“I would, sir” Jarvis' voice sounds reluctant, what the hell. “It is well past three a.m., sir. I don’t believe Mr.Banner will answer anytime soon.”

“Oh, right.” he wipes his hands on an oily rag as he stands up. “Send it in the morning?” 

“Absolutely, sir” he nods and ponders what he should do next when the AI’s voice speaks again “may I suggest that you turn in for the night, sir?” Tony smiles, he is actually tired and could probably sleep, but he hates when Jarvis tells him what to do, it reminds him of his childhood. In the end, he does go to sleep and he surprisingly sleeps well, he may be dreaming about warm coffee and blond hunks, strong arms, and pecs that are big enough to use as a pillow. Who cares?


	2. It wasn't the muffins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony visits the Marvel Cafe again, Steve tries not to read into it. He fails.

Steve doesn’t expect to see Tony again, in fact, a part of him hopes that the man does not even remember where the Marvel Cafe is, even though they are really close to the Stark Tower. He knows himself too well not to know that if Stark comes again and keeps flirting with him, he will start daydreaming about the man, even when he objectively knows that being the focus of Tony Stark charm doesn’t mean anything. 

Steve is wrong, two days later, on a Saturday morning, Tony Stark strolls happily into the cafe with a smile that does bad things for Steve. Peter is at the counter, again, and he reacts to the new customer as if he were an excited puppy, again. “Mr.Stark! Good morning!” he almost shouts, and for a moment, Steve dreads that Tony might be put off by such enthusiasm, but he is genuinely surprised when then man’s smile grows even wider and he gets closer to the bar. 

“Peter, how are you today?” he asks and Steve is a bit surprised that the guy even remembers the kid’s name, he may meet dozens of people on a daily basis. It’s mid-morning so the Marvel is quite empty at this time, a few people are sitting at tables, but no one is waiting to be served and Steve doesn’t see why he should bother Peter when the kid starts chatting with Stark, but the man is like a magnet and Steve cannot withdraw his eyes from them. 

When he is about to busy himself with whatever he can find, Tony Stark shifts his look and fixes him, and boy, aren’t those brown eyes are a thing of beauty. The weight of Tony’s stare is a bit too much for Steve, and he ends up straightening himself and asking “Can I get you something, Mr.Stark?” 

“Oh please, call me Tony,” he says with a wicked grin and Steve’s heartbeat quickens “I’d like one of those delicious muffins, please,” and he licks his lips just after talking and it takes Steve a few seconds to process. 

“I… Oh, yes, sure…” He feels himself blush as he turns to get a plate for the pastry. He sets the muffin in front of Tony and turns again to get a napkin. “Here you go… Tony…” he adds, trying the name, which apparently makes the older man smile again. 

“Thank you, Steve” the man ponders for a moment and then adds “Can I get a latte, too?” and Steve wordlessly nods, because the fact that Tony remembered Peter’s name was cute, but Tony remembering his name is overwhelming. The man is a genius, yeah, but he is also a playboy, a successful businessman, and a billionaire and how can he remember his name? Steve tries not to panic, he fails, so he just turns to the coffeemaker and tries not to make a mess. 

________________________________________________________________

It is amazing how a flustered grown man can make Tony swoon. In his defense, it is a muscular, gorgeous, blond man with a mouth to die for, but he should not be so appealing. But it is. Tony has been on a dry spell if you can call it a dry spell when you are the one not looking for it or not feeling like it. Maybe it is because of that, he has not felt this thrill at interacting with someone since Pepper, and it’s been over a year since they decided to call it quits. 

Tony is deep in thought when a cup of coffee appears before him, he looks up to see Peter smiling at him and them he double-checks the cup because what seemed an odd foam shape, it is now clearly a very detailed sun. 

“It is pretty, isn’t it?” asks Peter, all smiles. He seems so excited that he nods, it is indeed beautiful, and it looks very difficult to do. He is about to ask how he did it when Peter continues. “Steve is so good at making them… He rarely does complicated ones like this, it’s normally clouds and hearts and little flowers…” Tony looks at his drink again, at then lifts his head to look at Steve, who is looking at them with an odd expression and immediately turns around and busies himself when Tony makes eye contact. He is cute. Damn.

Peter, who has seen the whole ‘interaction’ chuckles and goes back to work and leaves Tony there, wondering exactly how fucked he is. He is over 45, he should not be stalking men in coffee shops, definitely not stalking men who are much younger than him. No, it is not a good idea. Damn Bruce and his damn ideas, why did he have to take him here? Couldn’t they have gone to a Starbucks? A crappy bar? 

________________________________________________________________

Just like last time, Tony kind of disappears in the middle of a rush, although this time, Steve catches a glimpse of him near the door and without really thinking, he raises his hand to wave him goodbye and sees Tony smile before going outside and Steve feels dumb and a little bit like a teenager. He has it bad and they’ve seen each other for a couple minutes tops, this is not good at all. He really should stop mooning after a celebrity and try to get his life together. 

“Did I just see Tony fucking Stark leaving the cafe?” Sam asks as he gets behind the counter and puts on his apron. And before Steve can gather his thoughts and try to answer like the adult he is, Peter jumps in, literally, and stars telling Sam about it. 

For a couple of seconds, Steve thinks he is safe, but then catches the way Sam is looking at him over Peter’s excited chatter and he knows. Or at least he suspects. Sam and Steve haven’t been friends for a long time, but Sam can read him as easily as an open book, so that glint in his friend's eye is making Steve cringe with dread. Luckily, there are still a few costumers waiting in line and they don’t have time for what for sure going to become an interrogation at some point. 

Sam may have known Steve for a couple years since he started working at the Marvel Cafe, but Sam has been dating Steve’s best friend, Bucky, for the best part of this time. So by now, Sam knows Steve’s every embarrassing anecdote about the silly crush on Tony Stark, or borderline obsession, during his teens. And he will be, most likely, texting Bucky about Stark’s visit to the cafe as soon as he has a free moment. Crap. 

________________________________________________________________

**_TS: Damn you, Banner. —12:23 p.m._ **

Tony texts Bruce just as he is walking back to the Stark Tower. He knows that he is being totally unfair, but hey, in the end, this is Bruce’s fault, to begin with. Kind of. When he gets to work Pepper corners him in the lobby and talks him into a meeting that he would have remembered to avoid if he had not been so distracted by the hot guy at the cafe. Steve, his mind supplies, and he sights as he follows the redhead into a conference room. 

The meeting is boring and totally unnecessary and on top of that, Bruce is not replying to his text, so he loses the afternoon listening to boring stocks talk and wondering if going back to the cafe is a good or an awful idea. When Pepper finally lets him go to his workshop, Bruce is sitting there waiting for him. 

“What are you doing here?” He asks as naturally as he can.

“Damn you too, Tony.” Bruce greets him with a smile. “What did I do this time?”

“You, clearly, had hidden motives for taking me there…” Tony says, but he sounds more unsure than accusing. 

“Taking you where?” Bruce seems confused.

“That cafe” In a few seconds Tony witnesses something he wasn’t expecting. Bruce's eyes go wide in realization, then he blushes. Blushes, not smiles sheepishly, he blushes!

“How? No. Wait.” He tilts his head in confusion. “What’s your issue with the cafe?”

“You blushed! Oh my God! Who is it, Bruce?” Bruce's blushing can only mean one thing, but who is it. It can’t be Peter, he is too young, does Bruce like Steve, too? But he wasn’t as flustered when they were at the Marvel. 

“She wasn’t there! What are you talking about, Tony?” A part of him wants to focus only on Bruce’s new revelation. 

“Nothing. Those muffins, I had to go back for more!” He knows as soon as he’s said it, that Bruce is going to call his bullshit in seconds. 

“What? You went back? This is not about food, Tony.” He is about to protest, but his friend is quicker. “If this was about the muffins you would’ve sent someone to get them for you… You went there yourself, willingly.” 

“Who are you? Sherlock Holmes?” Tony’s quick mind provides him an out and he uses it. “I went there myself to talk to Peter about the Iron Man program.” 

“Oh. That’s… nice.” Bruce seems to buy this version, so Tony lets himself relax and turns to offer Bruce a drink. 

________________________________________________________________

“So…got something to tell me, Stevie?” Bucky is sitting on a barstool at their usual Saturday night pub of choice. Steve knew that managing to escape what left of his shift without enduring Sam’s interrogation would only buy him so much time. It is early for a Saturday, so the place is not so busy, but it’s their usual ritual, meet for drinks and wait for Sam and Nat to get out of work. 

“I don’t know what your boyfriend told you, but it’s nothing…” he says sitting down next to his friend.

“Well, apparently you’ve met your all-time celebrity crush twice and you failed to tell your best friend.” 

“How do you know that I’ve met him twice?” This may be more of an ambush at this point. 

“I’m not snitching on my sources.” Bucky gives him a wicked smile. “If you decided to stop telling me things, I need some way to know what’s going on in my boy’s life.”

“As if dating my coworker wasn’t already some kind of ruse to spy on me…” Steve counters. 

“I’m not even gonna answer that. All I’m saying is that I’m worried about you, you’ve spent four years avoiding any kind emotional connection and I just want you to have a good time.” Bucky must know that Steve is about to say something because he rises his hand to make him stop. “And if flirting with Tony Stark is the approach you wanna take in order to get back in the world, I’ll be there for you.”

“I wasn’t flirting with him…” Steve mutters, perfectly aware that talking Bucky out of discussing his sentimental life is pointless. 

“Oh, I know. He was flirting with you.” Bucky says with a chuckle, and Steve gives up any arguing because he learned to pick his battles when he was in the Army. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, feedback of any kind is absolutely welcome.   
> You can also find me on Tumblr: steveandtonysittinginthetree.tumblr.com


	3. New Muffin Flavor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A misunderstanding, some angst, an excited teenager and sweet treats!

Tony let his guard down around Bruce and now he is totally paying the price. The other night, after their awkward conversation about the Marvel Cafe, they had started talking about Peter and the Iron Man Program, a training program in robotics and new technologies for young students that Stark Industries had started a couple years ago. Bruce had asked Tony to meet him at the cafe to talk to Peter about it. And now here he is, waiting at the door of an almost empty cafe with no sight of Bruce or Peter on a Tuesday noon. 

_B.Banner: Sorry Tony, I’m running late._

_Go ahead and order whatever you want, it’s on me. —11:56 a.m._

**_TS: I’m getting the most expensive thing on the menu. :( —11:56 a.m._ **

_B.Banner: Sure, Tony. —11:57 a.m._

It is just before lunch rush hour, and the place seems empty. Tony thinks it is ridiculous how nervous it makes him the thought of walking alone into the cafe as if he has never been alone to a bar or even a club. Even though he does not really want to acknowledge it, it may be because of the fact that he can see, through the glass, that the only person behind the bar is Steve. 

Before he knows what he is doing, Tony is walking into the cafe with a smile on his face.

“Morning,” he says, even though Steve may have heard the door, but the startled look he gets is priceless, and tells him otherwise.

“Oh, hi.” The shy smile Steve gives him makes up for Bruce standing him up. He doesn’t want to seem some kind of stalker, appearing at the cafe at random times as if to catch Steve’s schedule or something, so he decides to tell him why he came in the first place. 

“Is Peter gonna be here sometime soon?” Tony asks eagerly, but Steve’s expression shifts to a suspicious one and he gets worried. 

“Well, he should be at school.” He says, drily. Oh fuck, does this guy really think what he seems to be implying? So much for Tony’s public image. Should he react angrily? Defend himself? Explain more? Fuck. “Why?” Well, yeah, maybe explaining himself is the right move.

“I was bringing him some info on the training program in robotics that my company funds... I thought he may be interested?” He curses internally that he sounds so unsure. In his mind, this seems like a perfect reason for an adult to be visiting a teenager at his workplace, but maybe Steve will keep thinking that it is odd. The guy’s face immediately turns apologetic, and Tony breathes.

“Oh. That sounds actually really good...” He rubs his nape, looking down, and if Tony wasn’t so shaken by what just happened, he may have found it adorable. When Steve looks up, he has a sad expression. “I’m sorry... we are all kinda protective of Peter and...”

“And I’m known for being an amoral manslut” He says, bitterly. “Makes sense...”

“No! That’s not...” Steve looks actually sorry but Tony can’t let it go. 

“You don’t trust me.” Tony finishes. 

“I didn’t mean that...” Steve blurts, and he is blushing. 

“It’s fine.” 

“No, it’s not.” Steve sounds so resolved, even if it is physically evident that he is struggling to say what he wants. “I didn’t mean to imply THAT. It’s just that Peter is really innocent, I know he is extremely intelligent, but he wears his heart in his sleeve and I don’t want him to get hurt...” 

“And you think I’ll hurt him.” This isn’t really how Tony thought his day would go. 

“Not intentionally, but I’m sure that you are a very busy man and that you have a lot on your plate...” He takes a deep breath and for a moment Tony contemplates the option of leaving the paperwork and going back to his workshop, but then Steve goes on. “It’s just that Peter has been talking about how amazing you are non-stop since the other day since you were here and talked to him for five minutes tops...” 

“Look, it’s been ages since I’ve been able to have a conversation as refreshing as those five minutes I had with Peter...” Tony is determined to show this man that he can be a decent person and that he has the boy’s best interests in mind, even though he doesn’t need to. “Peter reminds me of myself, I remember what it was like to feel like your brain goes twice as fast as everything else and how that can make you feel. I think Peter has great potential and just want to help him…” Tony takes a breath because he got a bit too passionate. “Besides, it’s not like I’m going to vanish from his life, his science teacher is one of my only true friends…” He adds, smiling. 

“Okay… Now I feel awful.” Steve says with the cutest pout. “Can I do anything to make it up to you?” He asks earnestly. “I didn’t mean to make you feel bad… It’s just that I get kinda nervous around you…” He says the last part in a very low voice. 

Tony gulps because this can get so complicated in so little time… but he has a soft spot for the whole good-boy thing that Steve has going on. 

“Mmmh… Can I get one of those delicious muffins? That’d make me feel better…” he says with a wink because even when he is not sure, his first instinct when being around beautiful people is to flirt. 

“Oh. I’m afraid I’ve sold all the blueberry muffins…” Steve's voice sounds actually upset, but then he gets this mischievous looks that do bad things for Tony and adds. “I think I can get you something even better.” And he ducks into the back room. 

A few seconds later he comes out carrying what appears to be a plain muffin on a plate and he sets it in front of Tony. “I really hope you like it, it’s a new recipe.” It looks a bit darker than a usual muffin, but apart from that, it looks a bit too plain. But Tony, apparently, can’t say no to this man, so he picks it up and bites on it. 

It is so surprisingly good that the only thing that Tony can do is moan. The muffin itself is coffee flavored, it’s so, soft, moist, and intense enough that in itself it would have been one of the best things that Tony has tried, but the surprise dark chocolate core, that is just the right kind of sweet, make him swoon. 

________________________________________________________________

Steve is jealous of a muffin. It’s official, he has gone insane. But the sound Tony just made was so hot, that Steve would give anything to be the one causing it. Without even registering what he is doing, he gets closer to the counter, eyeing hungrily the bit of chocolate that is staining Tony’s lower lip. He doesn’t really know how to act right now, he is just grateful that there is no one else around to see him lusting after Tony Stark. 

Tony opens his eyes and smiles at him before licking the rest of the chocolate and Steve prays to whoever might be listening that the man doesn’t realize that Steve’s pants have gotten a lot tighter. Thank God for the mandatory apron. 

“Wait…” Tony says with a small frown. Fuck. He is screwed. “Did you just say that this was a new recipe? Did you make this?” Oh. Fuck. What should he do now, lie and get himself in trouble or just admit that the one who just made Tony lasciviously moan was not him, but Steve’s baker friend, Carol? 

“No… My friend Carol, she’s got a bakery nearby and brings us the pastries… I just like to suggest new flavors or mixes for him to try. Did you like it?” He asks, just because. 

“Did I like it?! I wanna marry this muffin!” And Steve just gulps at that because really? “So, this combination was your idea?” Steve nods and bites his tongue not to spill more embarrassing words. He can’t tell Tony that he suggested Carol try the coffee and dark chocolate combination with Tony on his mind. He does not want to sound like some sort of stalker. 

Tony looks as if he is about to ask something else, but the door opens and Bruce walks in followed by a very excited Peter. 

“Hi, Steve!” he shouts, waving and then waves at Tony too as he walks to the table where Bruce is already pulling a chair. 

“Tony! Stop trying to get in Steve’s pants and come over here! We need to talk about business!” Bruce yells. Steve would like to joke back, but he is having trouble breathing. 

“Pardon my friend, but he does know about my taste in men…” Tony whispers before taking the rest of his muffin and walking over to the table, leaving Steve dumbfounded. 

________________________________________________________________

Tony almost forgets what he just did because Peter starts interrogating him about his lasts projects, his robots, and the Iron Man Program. 

“Wait, Peter. This man needs caffeine to keep this conversation going.” Bruce intervenes after what might have been ten minutes or maybe more. “Why don’t you order us two lattes and whatever you’d like to drink?” He continues, and Peter nods and goes to the bar bouncing on his feet. 

“So…” Bruce turns his attention to Tony, who has followed the last exchange with a frown. “Steve, huh?” 

“What are you talking about?” Tony tries, knowing that his friend is aware that something is going on and won’t let it go. 

“Your outrage about muffins… on Saturday? You like him, don’t you?” Tony is about to protest, but then Bruce tilts his head and goes on. “What I don’t get is why would you be upset about liking someone…” 

“Because I can’t,” Tony mutters. 

“What do you mean you can’t? You obviously do!” Bruce drags his chair closer to Tony. “Look, he is a good guy, I don’t know him that much but everyone seems to love him… Where’s the problem?” 

“I am the problem… I mess everything up…” Tony is already picturing how this conversation may play out and he is tired already. 

“The fact that it didn’t work out with Pepper doesn’t mean that you are going to mess this up and you know it, Tony.” 

“It’s not just Pepper… You haven’t known me for that long, but I always mess up. Pepper was my last chance and I blew it!” He insists, burying his hands in his hair, he just wants to get his point across and be done with it.

“Tony…” Bruce starts, really soft, but then Peter comes back carrying a juice glass and sits down with a big smile on his face. 

“Steve will bring your drinks in a moment.” That is great, actually. Tony just wants the floor to swallow him and stop Bruce from giving him the sad look. 

Peter starts talking about robotics again and he draws their attention away from Tony’s sentimental issues, which he is really grateful for. Peter can think as fast as Tony does, maybe even faster, and the talk flows smoothly, jumping from one topic to another. He is so immersed in telling Peter how he has programmed his robots to have learning behavior, that he’s startled by a cup suddenly appearing in front of him.

“Here you g… Oh, Sorry!” Steve punts his hand on Tony’s shoulder to keep him from moving. “I didn’t mean to scare you…” He says softly and squeezes Tony lightly before letting go and it may sound cliché, but Tony misses the brief touch immediately. 

“It’s fine, don’t worry, I just wasn’t expecting you.” He says which makes Steve smile before going back to the counter. When Tony looks at his coffee he sees a moon decorating the foam, it is as detailed and pretty as the sun from the other day, he is amazed, and then he hears Bruce’s snort. His friend’s cup sports a simple smiley face and he looks at his own again just to marvel at the little drawing. 

“Well, Tony, you have nothing to worry about…” Bruce says as he starts stirring his coffee, dissolving his smiley face with the gesture. “He clearly doesn’t want anything to do with you.” 

“What?!” Peter almost jumps from his chair and Tony wants to crawl under the table. “Of course he does!” 

“Don’t worry Peter. It’s a joke.” He says because he knows that Bruce, the little shit, is not going to clarify it. “Anyway! What would you say to a Summer internship at Stark Industries?” He was going to suggest it later on, but it seems like the perfect opportunity to divert the attention. 

“Really?” Peter sounds elated and he feels proud of it. 

“Yeah. You’d work with our R+D team and it would help you get into any studies you’d like to do after.” 

Peter is nearly floating with excitement and Tony can only smile at the fond expression he gets from Bruce. He is about to brace himself for another half an hour of an excited teenager when the door opens and a pretty redhead walks in and goes behind the counter. He wouldn’t pay her much more attention, but the way Bruce straightens himself as he watches her put on her apron tells him that he should be paying attention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! Comments and kudos are so very welcome and deeply appreciated.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are totally welcome, I'd love any feedback.  
> Please note that I am not an English native speaker and there may be errors.
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr  
> @SteveandTonysittinginthetree
> 
> @taandtheworld


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